Measurement error and outcomes defined by exceeding a threshold: biased findings in comparative effectiveness trials

In medical studies, the long‐term level of a risk factor exceeding a threshold is often an outcome of interest. In practice, such a risk factor may not be directly measurable. Instead, outcome variables are based on a single or multiple biomedical measurements that have substantial variability. This variability is due to measurement error in a strict sense, true day‐to‐day variability, or a combination of the two. Estimates of prevalence based on such outcomes are biased; some individuals with long‐term levels below the threshold will be diagnosed, and some with long‐term levels above the threshold will not be diagnosed. From a public health point of view, this is a relatively minor concern; it is much less important than the fact that many individuals are not tested at all. However, in comparative effectiveness research studies, such as clinical trials evaluating a new treatment as compared with a placebo or a gold standard treatment, the combination of a noisy measurement and a threshold can distort the studies’ conclusions in important ways. Using simulations and theoretical formulas, we systematically describe the bias of prevalence difference and prevalence ratio when comparing arms and its effect on trial conclusions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Top Management Teams,Business Models,and Performance of Biotechnology Ventures: An Upper Echelon Perspective*

In this paper we introduce a new contingency variable that moderates the effect of top management team composition on organizational performance – the organization's business model. Arguing from an upper echelon perspective and drawing on data from 99 German biotechnology ventures, we show that founder‐based firm‐specific experience of management team members can have either a positive or a negative effect on performance, depending on whether the venture pursues a platform or a therapeutics business model, respectively. Our results also show that managers' experience collected in the pharmaceutical industry has a positive effect on performance, and that this effect is more positive for therapeutics than for platform ventures. We discuss the implications of these findings for the literature on upper echelons and entrepreneurial founding teams.     

Klasse und Geschlecht als Kategorien sozialer Ungleichheit

The issue of the formative influence of class versus gender, respectively, as the two main structural categories of modern societies is discussed in this paper. It presents results of an empirical research project. An overview of recent women’s and gender studies is given, taking a critical look at inequality relations. Selected empirical results of the crossing effects of class and gender are presented, referring mainly to Bourdieu’s (class) model of the multidimensional space of social positions. The materials used in the analysis are quantitative data of the representative West-German Socio-Economic Panel and qualitative biographical interviews with selected women (from interviewed couples) in contrasting social positions. The ?gender class“ hypothesis is being checked quantitatively by positioning it in connection with employment on the basis of mean average comparisons and a factor variance analysis. The ?class gender“ hypothesis is checked qualitatively by means of the case reconstructions on the basis of sequential analysis of interview interpretation. Finally, a theoretical reflection on the results is made in view of both crossing hypotheses.     

Revisiting the concept “dialogue” in public relations

This paper follows a critical approach in exploring the philosophical underpinnings and key features of dialogue in public relations practice and thinking. It argues that dialogue has been uncritically equated to two-way symmetrical communication, which has not done justice to the nature of dialogue, and has effectively stifled concrete development of a dialogic theory in public relations. The paper draws from a range of literature, including mainstream public relations and communication philosophy—in particular the philosophy of Martin Buber. The purpose of this paper is to inform public relations thinking by encouraging debate rather than proposing a new theoretical approach. As such, it sets out to explore the concept of dialogue and its philosophical underpinning, considers its practical application and suggests that it should not be seen as superior to persuasion.     

Examining power struggles as a signifier of successful partnership working: A case study of partnership dynamics

In Britain, and Wales particularly, inclusion and equal opportunities for all became key principles guiding the work of the many partnerships that were established at the beginning of this century. A primary objective of this paper is to develop a greater understanding of the politics and processes within ‘partnership’ as a widely used governance instrument. We argue that rather than dismissing partnerships for their exclusionary mechanisms, they might be considered as distinctive ‘arenas of power’ where the emphasis on participation and consensus shapes power relations in particular ways. What we demonstrate, using a differentiated topology of power [Allen, J., 2003. Lost Geographies of Power. Blackwell Publishing], is the effect that different modes of power, at different times, can have on social interaction and the process of partnership working. Although inequality in terms of resources existed in our study, we show that effective partnership working was enhanced at times when more reciprocal modes of power were used. We conclude, therefore, that an analysis of power based on resources alone is limited because the use and effect of resources may be “modified, displaced or disrupted depending upon the relationships that come into play” [Allen, J., 2003. Lost Geographies of Power. Blackwell Publishing, p. 97]. Hence, there is a need for more research on power struggles and conflicts in partnerships over time. Only then it is possible to see how and when differences in resources affect social interaction and result in different levels of (in)equality. A partnership cannot be seen simply as an indirect instrument of a dominant government actor to control organisations and individuals.     

Source Attribution of Food-Borne Zoonoses in New Zealand: A Modified Hald Model

A Bayesian approach was developed by Hald et al .^{( 1 )} to estimate the contribution of different food sources to the burden of human salmonellosis in Denmark. This article describes the development of several modifications that can be used to adapt the model to different countries and pathogens. Our modified Hald model has several advantages over the original approach, which include the introduction of uncertainty in the estimates of source prevalence and an improved strategy for identifiability. We have applied our modified model to the two major food-borne zoonoses in New Zealand, namely, campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis. Major challenges were the data quality for salmonellosis and the inclusion of environmental sources of campylobacteriosis. We conclude that by modifying the Hald model we have improved its identifiability, made it more applicable to countries with less intensive surveillance, and feasible for other pathogens, in particular with respect to the inclusion of nonfood sources. The wider application and better understanding of this approach is of particular importance due to the value of the model for decision making and risk management.     

The dynamics of fertility amongst Palestinians in Israel from 1980 to 2000

A dynamic stalled fertility transition is the best way to describe the recent fertility experience of Muslim Palestinians in Israel. It is generally assumed that once fertility levels fall by 10%, transition is well underway. Muslims in Israel experienced rapid fertility decline from TFR levels near 9 in the 1960s to about 4.5 in the early 1980s, but period TFRs have remained essentially constant since then. This article uses multilevel statistical models and census data to examine the changing determinants of fertility amongst Muslim Palestinians in Israel during the stage when aggregate fertility levels approached stagnation. The results show that as educational levels increased among Israeli Muslim women, the strength and nature of the relationship between education and fertility has changed at both the individual and community levels. We also explore other potential determinants of fertility such as minority status and cultural affiliation—exciting new directions for explaining the stagnation of aggregate fertility levels.     

An Index of Child Well-being in the European Union

While the living conditions of children and young people in the European Union have gained increasing recognition across the EU, the well-being of children is not monitored on the European level. Based on a rights-based, multi-dimensional understanding of child well-being we analyse data already available for the EU 25, using series data as well as comparative surveys of children and young people. We compare the performance of EU Member States on eight clusters with 23 domains and 51 indicators and give a picture of children’s overall well-being in the European Union. The clusters are children’s material situation, housing, health, subjective well-being, education, children’s relationships, civic participation and risk and safety.